Because MidSouth Community is a federal credit union, you need to be a member to qualify for this card. Membership is limited to people who work, live, worship, or attend school in the following Middle Georgia counties: Bibb, Baldwin, Crawford, Hancock, Houston, Jones, Monroe, Peach, Pulaski, Putnam, Twiggs, Washington, and Wilkinson. If you qualify, you may be able to get a secured card with an APR as low as 10.90% Variable.

The credit union is probably taking all your debt into consideration, not just the mortgage. And with a personal loan, new mortgage, credit cards, car loan and student loan, it sounds like you have quite a few bills you’re handling. It’s understandable you want to get your interest rates down, though, and it’s good you’re trying to be proactive about the process. Just because one lender turned you down doesn’t mean they all will. But you do want to be careful about applying for loans with multiple lenders as the inquiries can impact your scores. You might want to try one of the other options mentioned in the article before you give up. If you get turned down by multiple lenders, though, then you may want to at least talk with a credit counselor to see if they have suggestions.
If you choose to settle with a lender for less than the total owed, the arrangement will show on your credit report and may drop your score depending on how it is reported. Some lenders will simply mark it as paid, which has a positive affect on your score. However, if they show it as settled, your score may suffer. Although you can negotiate with a lender as to how they will report the settlement, you ultimately have no control over what they will do.
Shortly before graduate school started, I visited friends in Iowa. When we were about to split the bill after dinner at a Japanese restaurant, I noticed that all my friends had a Discover card with a shimmering pink or blue cover. The Discover it® Student Cash Back was known for its high approval rate for student applicants, and had been popular among international students.

Over one-third of your score depends on whether you pay your creditors on time. So, make sure you pay all your bills by their due dates, keep receipts, canceled checks or reference numbers to prove you did so. While utility and phone bills aren't normally figured into your credit score, they may appear on a credit report when they're delinquent, especially if the provider has sent your account to a collection agency and forwarded that information to the bureaus.

Here is a simple test. (This is not 100% accurate mathematically, but it is an easy test). Divide your credit card interest rate by 12. (Imagine a credit card with a 12% interest rate. 12%/12 = 1%). In this example, you are paying about 1% interest per month. If the fee on your balance transfer is 3%, you will break even in month 3, and will be saving money thereafter. You can use that simplified math to get a good guide on whether or not you will be saving money.
This tip is a valuable financial lesson that many people can implement, and it can completely transform their financial situation. Typically, people tend to wait until the last minute to pay their bills, which results in late payments, late fees, and extended loans. The goal with this is to develop the habit of scheduling your payments to be automatic. IF you have already missed a payment in the past, this tip is even more important for you. By scheduling your payments automatically, you are making the dedication that the money will be in the account by the time the bill needs to come out. This, at the same time, if properly managed, can help direct your entire attention on paying your bills on time, rather than purchasing something out of instant gratification. Also, by showing lenders that you have set up automatic payments, it shows a level of dedication towards fast credit repair.
One of the biggest mistakes that any borrower can ever make is trying to dispute their entire credit report. Typically, traditional credit repair companies will utilize this tactic; however, it has been proven very risky and potentially debilitating to the overall purpose. By disputing your entire report, you may remove some of positive aspects that are boosting your score.
The root cause of your debts hasn’t been settled.Florida consumer protection lawyer Donald E. Petersen said consumers should not file bankruptcy until the root cause of their financial distress is solved. “If a consumer has severe health problems and is incurring medical bills that they are unable to pay, do not file bankruptcy until after the course of treatment is complete,” he said. “Similarly, consumers who are unable to pay their bills because they are unemployed or underemployed should not file bankruptcy until their employment status has stabilized at compensation that they can live on without accumulating additional debts in order to meet ordinary living expenses.”

One of the biggest considerations people make when deciding whether to file for bankruptcy is the potential impact it will have on their future financial lives. While it can certainly help them clear out massive amounts of debt that they couldn’t handle on their own, it can also restrict their ability to take out loans and credit during the payment term of the bankruptcy by requiring them to get the court’s permission first.

Personal Loans: With the rise of marketplace lenders, obtaining a personal loan with a low interest rate has become increasingly easy. Most lenders will allow you to shop for an interest rate without hurting your credit score. You should shop around for the best rate online at websites like MagnifyMoney or NerdWallet, where you can find variable interest rates as low as 4.74%.

However, there is a big myth that you have to borrow money and pay interest to get a good score. That is completely false! So long as you use your credit card (it can even be a small $1 charge) and then pay that statement balance in full, your score will benefit. You do not need to pay interest on a credit card to improve your score. Remember: your goal is to have as much positive information as possible, with very little negative information. That means you should be as focused on adding positive information to your credit report as you are at avoiding negative information.
If you transfer your debt and use your card responsibly to pay off your balance before the intro period ends, then there is no trap associated with the 0% APR period. But, if you neglect making payments and end up with a balance post-intro period, you can easily fall into a trap of high debt — similar to the one you left when you transferred the balance. As a rule of thumb, use the intro 0% APR period to your advantage and pay off ALL your debt before it ends, otherwise you’ll start to accumulate high interest charges.
If you've already used up your free credit reports for this year, you can order your credit reports directly from the credit bureaus for a fee. The bureaus all offer a three-in-one credit report that lists all three of your credit reports side-by-side. The three-in-one credit report costs more than a single credit report, but less than the combined price of purchasing your individual credit reports.

I was actually scammed by The Alternative Loan Machine $4,200. I know them. They are local to me. I paid them for work on my credit that they assured me would be done. It wasn’t done. They promised a refund. It’s been 3 months and the refund never came. Now, no one answers their phone, returns calls, or is on line at their chat “Help Desk” anymore. All the assurances of preventing scams and ensuring work, ended up all being B.S.